Once upon a time customer complaints were dealt with solely by a company and an unhappy consumer.   Sometimes the customer would manage to successfully solve their issue, sometimes not.   Occasionally the press would get hold of a story and lobby on behalf of a customer, but by and large consumers had a single, lonely voice.

The public airing of these shopping stories causes embarrassment and bad PR, so many shops become more motivated to find a way to resolve customer issues. Even if the issues are not satisfactorily resolved other consumers can take heed and avoid the same pitfalls, perhaps taking their customer elsewhere or avoiding a particular product or brand.